The Last of the Oranges

Garden tidying…

Sandra: Could you pick the last of the oranges?

Ashley: I’ll need a ladder.

Sandra: Take care climbing. They’re good the oranges those, even though the tree is 50 years old.

Ashley: Probably it has deep roots that reach into nutrient-rich soil. 

Sandra: And the climate here is good for citrus.

Ashley: Mind you, the tree’s age means it’s well-established and resilient, maybe able to withstand pests and diseases better than younger trees.

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Voice-over

Regular pruning might help too. But this tree has always been left to prune itself, dropping off dead branches.

Oranges falling too early

Under a loggia...

Selected to ripen...

Mike: The oranges on the tree are all turning yellow.

Molly: Good.

Mike: Not good. It’s way too early to ripen.

Molly: Trees shed a few of their crop so the yield will be healthier.

Mike: Whew. I thought the tree was dying.

 

Voice-over

It's normal for all types of citrus trees to drop some immature fruit before most ripen. This self-thinning is nature's way of making sure the tree does not become too overburdened with fruit. It’s like editing. Even healthy words can be pruned so the really good ones are left to shine.

Limits of Seasonal Organic Vegetables

A new package arrives from the organic garden…

Helen: What did the gardener send this time?

Virginia: Eggplants. And squash.

Helen: That’s the fourth week in a row he’s sent them. 

Virginia: It is a bit repetitive.

Helen: And the bugs that come with them. Can’t you specify what he sends?

Virigina: That’s the meaning of seasonal. Take what’s in season. Even the queen insists on seasonal veges.

Helen: With all her gardens, I’m sure she has more choice.

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Voice-over

Eating like a queen, in season cucumbers, zucchinis, spinach. Fruit of course. And then all those dinner functions with heads of state relaxes reliance on seasonal fare.

Campsis and Wisteria

Natives are not always a natural choice…

Hanako: A vine that is vigorous, hmm, it would cover that unsightly concrete block wall. Maybe campsis?

Saimon: Striking orange trumpet flowers. Certainly vigorous. Sends roots far underground though. Wisteria?

Hanako: I like to plant natives.

Saimon: Wisteria is only slightly less inclined to
colonize far afield. I understand how you favor natives, but vigorous natives, like campsis or wisteria, can become invaders. Once they’re established, it can be hard to kill them. Just trimming them takes a lot of work.

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Voice-over

Saimon is right about Campsis grandiflora and Wisteria floribunda being aggressive colonizers of the soil and smothering and strangling other plants above. Be prepared for a tedious hack-back being needed more than once a year. Beauty needs to be managed.

Sorbian grandmothers examine giant mushroom...

I'm sure it's safe to eat

Surprise in the garden…

Katyržinka: It wasn’t here yesterday.

Zusana: Looks like it just mushroomed.

Katyržinka: Maybe that’s why they’re called mushrooms.

Zusana: Do you think it’s edible?

Katyržinka: You mean, not poisonous? Well, you could try it and see.

Zusana: Like last time when I went blind for six hours? Not this time.

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Voice-over

They do come up quickly. And Europeans seem adventurous in trying new mushroom dishes. Local lore does not always protect.

Transplanting a tree fern

A small garden.

Kenneth: We’re putting in a new fence so a couple of ferns had to be moved. We dug this one up and relocated it a couple of meters back.

Karl: A Cyathea medullarus, isn’t it? Dug up the roots?

Kenneth: Yes. Wasn’t hard. They’re shallow. Reminded me of a triffid.

Karl: Did you throw a couple of buckets of water in the hole before planting?

Kenneth: Yes and watered the trunk. That’s its root system isn’t it?

Karl: Basically, yes. Still, transplanting is a shock for them. It’s still summer. It’s a 50-50 chance it’ll survive.

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Voice-over

Tree ferns mainly use their roots as an anchor in the ground. Bit of blood and bone with the water in the hole. They like a place dappled in light. Water the trunk too but don’t overdo it. And hope it is one of the 50% that respond to kind attention.

A painter who never left his garden

A chat on the bus…

Seeing one ant doesn't mean 
 you have seen them all.
adapted from E.O. Wilson

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Jun: Just saw a film at Cocomaru. A 97 year old painter who hadn’t been out of his garden for 30 years.

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Noriko: What did he do every day?

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Jun: He had everything he needed in there. Observed nature: flowers blooming, ants scurrying. And based on a real person. Mori Kumagai. An artist who painted close-ups of nature.

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Noriko: So he didn’t need to see the world. People came and went.

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Jun: Well, there was a dark side. Developers put up a high rise next door blocking out the sun.

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Voice-over

Echoes of Xavier de Maistre who wrote Voyage autour de ma chambre (Voyage Around My Room) in 1794. Confined to his room by house arrest for engaging in a duel, he endured six weeks and wrote about it.

Are such stories curiosities, or are they inspirational?

...

Framing views

Focusing attention…

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Gustave: A view can look better framed.

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George: I see what you mean. Looking through the magnolia at the sea.

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Gustave: Shaded too. And over here, across the lawn.

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George: Aha, a perch for birds to check for cats before drinking.

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Voice-over

The art of gardening draws on the art of framing. Repoussoir in the sea view and foliage-vignetting in the birdbath scene.

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